Be Frank With Me

This darling little book named Be Frank With Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson was a joy to read. The main character is Alice.  Alice is in her 20's and she works for a publisher.  The publisher sends her from New York to California to support a writer who is past her deadline on the book she is supposed to be writing.  Frank is the author's son and Alice spends most of her time caring for 9 year old Frank.  Frank is a joy to be with.  He likes to dress up in clothes from old films.  From argyle socks to zoot suits to fedoras, Frank does not fit in well with the other t shirted kids at school. Frank can get overwhelmed to the point of lying on the ground unable to move or speak but he can also handle other very challenging scenes with less trouble than the average well-adjusted adult.  Alice is young and unsure of her role. Frank's mother, the author, is a prickly person who keeps calling her by the wrong name. Alice corrects her every time.  Like me, Alice can spend much time and care to not make a mistake that ironically ends up happening because of her actions. I really enjoyed how up front she is during her internal monologues.  I hated to see this book come to an end.